Movie Review: Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
Nowhere near as unique as it's title suggests, but still fun enough
Photo: Universal Pictures
The alien craze continues and this time it isn't the military called on to take the invaders out, it's a posse of cowboys led by a mysterious high plains drifter and a grouchy cattle rancher. Director Jon Favreau has tossed aside his Iron Man shackles and made way for another comic book adaptation, bringing sci-fi flavor to the Wild West with Cowboys and Aliens.
The cast includes Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford, Noah Ringer, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Abigail Spencer and Walt Goggins. For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
Review
"Cowboys & Aliens" is a DreamWorks Pictures / Universal Pictures release, directed by Jon Favreau and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference. The running time is 1 hour 58 minutes.
As night falls, lights appear in the sky on the horizon and before you know it a swarm of alien ships are attacking the town, snatching people up with mechanical lassos and destroying everything in sight. When the wife of a local saloon owner (Sam Rockwell) and the son of the grizzled cattle rancher (Harrison Ford) are taken, the townsfolk form a posse and set off to save their loved ones. Joining them is the mysterious man that stumbled into town, a beautiful young girl with secrets of her own (Olivia Wilde), the son (The Last Airbender's Noah Ringer) of the kidnapped sheriff and a few others that don't necessitate mention.
To this point I've been careful not to mention the word "Western" because honestly I never got much of a Western feel from this flick. Even before the aliens arrived I wasn't convinced this was the Wild West at any moment, much of that reasoning has to do with Harry Gregson-Williams' score. Gregson-Williams is a man whose work I enjoy, but he apparently isn't the one to bring a Western to life. Favreau, however, chose well when he brought on Oscar-nominated Mary Zophres for his costumes after she put in such good work on the Coens' True Grit, and there are no complaints on that end, but the overall feel of the film just didn't sell a Western.
Equally distracting are the aliens, which now feel commonplace. Maybe that's because of how many alien films we've seen lately. In just the last six months we've seen aliens with numbers, aliens stealing our mothers and alien robots trashing Chicago. On top of that there have been aliens hitchhiking with Comic Con geeks, destroying Los Angeles, homaging Steven Spielberg, attacking South London and delivering green magic rings. There comes a point when the magic wears off and Cowboys and Aliens happens to arrive at the tail end of this run and these aliens don't do enough to differentiate themselves. Even worse, the characters in the film seem just as unsurprised by these space invaders as I was.
Where I found most of my enjoyment was in getting to know Harrison Ford's character, a one-time Colonel turned cattle rancher with a misfit son (Paul Dano) and a short temper. While Ford's gruff line-reading early in the film feels a bit forced, as the film moves on he begins to open up into a character that is about more than just being a hard ass. Oh, and Walt Goggins ("The Shield") is fantastic in a small supporting role.
On the flipside, Daniel Craig's performance was quite stale and unoriginal as he plays something of a Jason Bourne trapped in the 1800s. The first scene in the film is essentially a remake of the park bench scene from The Bourne Identity and instead of floating onto a fishing boat he stumbles into a priest's office and needs to be patched up. Craig also seems so busy dropping his English accent he forgets to add any emotion to his character. Then again, perhaps that's just how the character was written.
If the tone of this film feels somewhat familiar to you, perhaps that's because the same people that brought you such films as Star Trek, Transformers and Iron Man teamed to write this thing. The script was adapted by no fewer than six screenwriters as Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby and Steve Oedekerk all had a hand in bringing the Platinum Studios Comics graphic novel to the big screen. Surprisingly, this often causes serious plot holes, but in that respect the story actually holds up, though you would hope if six people get together to write a film about aliens invading the Old West they could find a better reason for them to be doing so, or at least give us some sort of worthwhile explanation.
Overall, a lot of my harping is simply because I think this film could have been far more unique than it actually was. I would've hoped Favreau would have looked closer at some of Clint Eastwood's or John Wayne's westerns and tried to recreate that legitimate vibe of the dusty Wild West, and imagine what Bill Munny or Ethan Edwards would have done if alien spaceships started snatching up people around them. While we aren't watching a team of marines hunt down the uninvited aliens we may as well be, since the only difference is these guys are packing six-shooters rather than laser-sighted machine guns. Hell, even a horse is able to keep up with the alien ships as far as this film is concerned.
I had fun with Cowboys and Aliens for what it was, but I was hoping for much, much more.
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Please Brad, I saw this Yesterday afternoon, and I have had this glaring question ever since: How did he get the bracelet?
I remember the flashback scene where he hit the alien and escaped, but from what I recall, he was already wearing the bracelet. I don't remember him ever stealing it or it being placed on him.
And anyway, if it was placed on him, why did they place their most powerful weapon on him?
The film went out of its way to make us think that the aliens were so easy to defeat because they underestimated the humans' offense. But after his escape, they probably would have been more careful when they knowingly had a human running around with their super bracelet on. How is it that he was able to kill about 7-9 aliens in a row without them shooting back is beyond me.
I digress. How did he get it? It would be great help if someone could answer! Thank you.
The one alien took it off, placed it next to him while he was on the operating table and as he was escaping his wrist fell on it and it attached itself. At least that's how I remember it, I may be off. Sort of a dumb luck scenario.
Deadline has very (very) early reports of a $15 million first day. But they also report the budget range for the film could be anywhere between $160 and $200 million.
That doesn't sound like a strong start if actuals are in that estimate range.
The C&A opening weekend estimates on Deadline keep getting worse and worse every time they are revised so far.
It keeps going down. It looks like The Smurfs will beat it now.
"There comes a point when the magic wears off and Cowboys and Aliens happens to arrive at the tail end of this run and these aliens don't do enough to differentiate themselves. Even worse, the characters in the film seem just as unsurprised by these space invaders as I was." – Brad
First is that fair to criticize Cowboys and Aliens because they come last. Ants or Bugs life? Agamemnon or Deep Impact? Studios fight for whats popular. Right now you are rewarding Star Trek for delaying, but Cowboys & Aliens, you snooze you lose. guess you should of shown up in may. what if a bunch of space movies come out right before star trek 2? Are you going to dock ST2 because its a space movie and your bored of that genre?
I'm just trying to understand, what rules you have about reviewing movies. If a screaming kid is in your theater are you going to dock it? How many outside elements do you allow?
Now, your second part of your quote is a, in my opinion, fair question to ask the movie. Personally I kinda liked it. They solved the asking questions all the time with the "their demons" theory. It feels to connect with the time period. Back then if you did not understand it you blamed it on witchcraft and demons. I love the preacher being the thinker out of the bunch. Its when Oliva's character comes out of the fire when they start to ask real questions and investigate.
Sorry two random points but I wanted to ask and share both.
When you ask what "rules" I have in relation to the alien issue, I was simply theorizing based on how uninteresting the aliens were. The fact remains, for me, they weren't interesting, but I was posing a theory in search of a reason why that may be, not a hard and fast rule.
As for your other point, I can understand your point of view, we'll just have to agree to disagree though. I would have appreciated a greater level of concern and bewilderment before acceptance and retaliation. I also think it would have helped what I thought was a lack of a western vibe.
sorry. I should of just stuck to the first thing.
Thats what I'm interested in, like your theory. Rule was probably the wrong word. However, I would love to see an article (top 10 even) on this subject. What are outside influences that effect the movie?
That's an interesting idea, though it sounds like it may be tough. May only work on a case-by-case basis. I guess other examples may be too much of one actor/actress and same with genre, such as the recent superhero onslaught or the torture porn fad from a couple of years ago.
I just had no fun watching this movie, and it's very rare that I see a movie I do not enjoy. Just seems like I have been getting my money's worth more on comedies this year.
Too many cowboys, not enough aliens.
Just watched it last night and I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Craigs performance was a bit wooden mostly but not the whole time.
The lack of bewilderment was a bit odd, it seemed to focuss much more on the determination to get loved ones back and/or take revenge. Especially Ford, the boy and the bartender.
Maybe they where just simpler times, maybe it would've just taken up to much film.
I do recall bewilderment at the bracelet by Craig tho (strangley enough none for the oulows after seeing a canon shot from someone's wrist)
What surprised me more was the rate the cowboys where being slaughtered. I know they had quite a group but not that many I thougt… must've missed a few that came later or something.
I liked the aliens and the lack of explanation, that's how it would and should be. Intelligent, agressive and came with a party trick. And the near uselesness of the revolvers against them was a good detail.
Fords character surprised me with the depth they've put in. Enough backstory and devellopment but not to much to bore.
Some good action, not a bad and surely an unusual story and nicely told.
Could it have been better? Sure, but at what is a matter of personal preferences.
Could it have been worse? A whole lot.
7 out of 10 for me (sorry, don't use the letter system over here)